Air-regulator for steam-boiler furnaces.



A. COTTON.

AIR REGULATOR FOB. STEAM BOILER FURNAGES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1911.

1,067,319,, Patented July 15, 1913.

Z lgl/ENTOR Z4; ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO1,WASHIN 'I.TON. n. c.

TlhllD S .si AES ALFRED COTTON, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

AIR-REGULATOR FOR STEAM-BOILER FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 29, 1911.

Patented July 15,1913. Serial No. 641,303.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED Co'rroN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing in the city of Newark, county of Essex, and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Regulators for Steam-Boiler Furnaces, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to apparatus for controlling the admission of airto furnaces for burning the gases arising from the primary combustion onthe grates. It is adapted for use with all kinds of solid fuel, but moreparticularly for use with bituminous coal and other smoky fuels toreduce or do away with the emission of smoke.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which willsupply a large amount of air over the fire for a predetermined time,said charge arising at the end of a fixed interval. This charge may begoverned somewhat by the length of time the fire door is open during theoperation. of charging the furnace with fuel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which willautomatically govern the amount of air supplied to the fire box aftereach charging of fuel, the fireman or stoker being thus relieved of allresponsibility as to the amount of air thus supplied.

Uther objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The drawing represents a front elevation of a portion of a furnaceshowing a fire door and my air supplying apparatus connected thereto,the valves of the apparatus being shown in sectional view.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, l designates the fire doorof a steam boiler furnace; 2 a main steam supply pipe and 3 a pair ofsteam jet blowers for supplying air over the furnace grates. Theseblowers are shown as arranged in the boiler front on each side of thefire door, but it will be understood that they may be arranged in thefire door as shown in my Patent No. 899,102, or at any suitable placeabout the furnace.

To supply steam to the blowers, steam pipes 4 are employed, and thesepipes are connected by means of a single pipe 5 to the main steam supply2. Interposed in the pipe 5 is a pressure-actuated controlling valve 6which controls the admission of steam to the pipes 4 and the blowers.The

:a chain 17 I controlling valve consists of a valve proper 7 carrying adepending valve stem 8 on the lower end of which is secured a piston 9.This piston reciprocates in a cylinder 10 and the valve is arranged toseat downwardly on the valve seat. The steam is admitted to the uppersurface of the piston and the under side of the valve 7. As the area ofthe piston is considerably greater than the area of the under side ofthe valve the downward pressure on the piston holds the valve seated.

controlling reservoir 11 is connected by a pipe 12 with the main steamsupply and arranged in said pipe is an admission valve 13. This valvemoves inwardly to its seat and the pressure from the steam pipe 12 tendsto unseat said valve and force it outwardly. The stem 14 of said valveis connected to the lower end of a lever 15, to the upper end of whichis connected a spring 16. The free end of this spring is connected bywith the fire door, said chain bemg of such length that when the firedoor is closed the valve 13 will be held to its seat with a fair amountof pressure. It is manifest that when the fire door is opened thepressure of the steam under the valve and tending to unseat it will atonce open the valve so that steam may freely pass from the pipe 12 intoreservoir 11. To the controlling reservoir 11 is connected a pipe 18,the upper end of which communicates with the lower end of the pistonchamber 10 and delivers the steam to said chamber under the pistontherein.

Connected to the lower end of the controlling reservoir is an outletpipe 19 in which is arranged a needle valve 20, said valve governing thespeed of exhaust from the controlling reservoir.

The operation of this apparatus may be briefly described as follows:Upon opening the fire door for charging the furnace with fuel, steamwill unseat the valve 13 and flow into the controlling reservoir 11.Steam will also rise through pipe 18 into the lower end of the pistonchamber, and pressure will accumulate therein until said pressure,combined with the pressure on the under side of the valve 7 will liftsaid valve from its seat and open communication from the steam supplythrough the pipe 5 to the pipes 41 leading to the blowers. lVhen thefire door is closed the valve 13 will be seated and the supply of steamto the controlling reservoir ated by any fluid under will be cut off.Pressure will be maintained, however, in the lower portion of the pistonchamber 10 and the valve 7 will be held open until the pressure in thecontrolling reservoir, by reason of the exhaust through the needle valve20 is so reduced that the pressure on the upper side of the piston inthe piston chamber will seat said valve. The supply of steam to theblowers will then be out off and the apparatus will be at rest until thefire door is again opened and the controlling reservoir again charged.

It is to be noted that the reservoir 11 serves merely as a controllingreservoir, the pressure therein controlling the operation of the valvewhich admits steam directly to the blowers from the steam supply. It ismanifest that by properly proportioning the controlling reservoir andthe supply of steam thereto, and by properly adjusting the needle valve,the supply of air to the furnace after each charging w'th fuel may beregulated to the proper interval. The controlling reservoir may becomparatively small as it is not necessary to store therein the steamwhich is subsequently to be supplied to the jet blowers, as in theapparatus covered by my Patent No. 899,102 dated September 22nd, 1908.It is manifest, therefore, that I have provided a very simple butefficient means for controlling the supply of air over the grates aftereach charging with fuel. It is also manifest that the apparatus iscapable of a very wide range of adjustment.

While I have described the apparatus as being operated by steampressure, it will, of course, be understood that it may be operpressure,and I desire it understood that I am not to be limited specifically tothe use of the apparatus with steam.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An air regulator for a furnace comprising a controlling reservoir offixed capacity, means for supplying steam to said reservoir, means forpermitting steam to exhaust therefrom, a pipe leading steam to thefurnace fire box, a valve in said pipe means whereby said valve will benormally held seated or closed by the steam pressure in said pipe, meanswhereby steam under pressure from the controlling reservoir will unseator open a fire door, a valve controlling communication from the steamsupply to the controlling reservoir, means operatively connecting thefire door to said valve whereby said valve will be opened when the firedoor is opened and will be closed when the fire door is closed.

2-. An air regulator for a furnace comarisin a controllin reservoir offixed ca-,

prising a controlling trolling reservoir said valve, in combination withpacity, means to control the supply of steam to the controllingreservoir, a steam. jet blower, a valve controlling the supply of steamto said jet blower, means whereby said valve will be normally heldclosed by the steam pressure, means operated by pressure from thecontrolling reservoir to open said valve and permit steam to flow to thejet blower when the pressure in said controlling reservoir issubstantially equal to the pressure holding the said valve closed, andmeans to permit steam to flow from the controlling reservoir, wherebythe steam supply to the jet blower will be cut off when the pressure inthe controlling reservoir is sufficiently reduced.

3. An air regulator for a furnace comreservoir, means for intermittentlysupplying steam to the controlling reservoir, a steam jet blower, avalve controlling the supply of steam to said jet blower, means wherebysaid valve will be normally held closed by the steam pressure, meansoperated by pressure from the con to open said valve and permit steam toflow to the jet blower when the pressure in said controlling reservoiris substantially equal to the pressure holding the said valve closed,and means to permit steam to flow from the controlling reservoir,whereby the steam supply to the jet blower will be cut off when thepressure in the controlling reservoir is sufficiently reduced.

4. An air regulator for a furnace comprising a controlling reservoir offixed capacity, a fire door, means operated by the fire door in openingand closing to intermittent-ly supply steam to said reservoir, a steamjet blower, a valve controlling the supply of steam to said jet blower,means whereby said valve will be normally held closed by the steampressure, said means being also operated by pressure from thecontrolling reservoir to open said valve and permit steam to flow to thejet blower when the pressure in said reservoir is substantially equal tothe pressure holding said valve closed, and means to permit steam toflow from the controlling reservoir, whereby the steam supply to the jetblower will be cut off when the pressure i the controlling reservoir issufliciently reduced.

5. An air regulator for a furnace comprising a controlling reservoir offixed capacity, means for supplying steam to said reservoir, means forpermitting steam to exhaust therefrom, a pipe leading steam to thefurnace fire box, a valve in said pipe adapted to close against thesteam pressure therein, a piston connected to said valve and of largerarea, said piston being exposed to steamfpressure to hold said valveclosed, means whereby steam from the controlling reservoir will operateon said valve piston and unseat said valve, a fire door, a valvecontrolling communication between the steam supply and the controllingreservoir, and means operatively connecting the fire door to said valvewhereby said valve will be opened when the fire door is opened and willbe closed when the fire door is closed.

6. An air regulator for a furnace comprising a controlling reservoir,means for supplying steam to said reservoir, a pipe leading steam to thefurnace fire box, a valve in said pipe adapted to be moved in onedirection by the steam pressure therein, a piston connected to and oflarger area than said valve, said piston being exposed to the steampressure in the pipe to move said valve in one direction, means wherebysteam from the controlling reservoir will operate on said piston andmove it in the opposite direction, a fire door, a valve controlling thepressure in the reservoir, means operatively connecting the fire door tosaid valve whereby said valve will be opened when the fire door isopened and will be closed when the fire door is closed.

7. An air regulator for a furnace comprising a controlling reservoir,means for supplying steam to said reservoir, a pipe leading steam to thefurnace fire box, a valve in said pipe adapted to be moved in onedirection by the steam pressure therein, means connected to said valveand exposed to steam pressure tomove said valve in one direction, meanswhereby steam from the controlling reservoir will operate on said valvemoving means to move said valve in the opposite direction, a fire door,a valve controlling the pressure in the reservoir and means operativelyconnecting the fire door to said valve, whereby said valve will beopened when the fire door is opened and will be closed when the fircdoor is closed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ALFRED COTTON. Witnesses WM. R. DAVIS, F. R. MILLER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

